Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Niksic

For one person, living is cheaper in Niksic: $980 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Niksic
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Niksic Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Niksic

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Niksic

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Niksic actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $980 in Niksic.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Niksic $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,468 in Niksic.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Niksic $1,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,955 in Niksic.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Niksic $1,955

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 23% more expensive than in Niksic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Niksic 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$8.05 €7.17

32.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$31.38 €27.94

39.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$5.61 €4.99

110.16%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$1.72 €1.53

120.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.89 €1.68

-31.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$1.10 €0.98

-24.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$1.90 €1.70

65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.29 €2.04

115.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.08 €0.96

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$0.89 €0.79

147.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.97 €1.75

-25.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$3.17 €2.82

-21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.44 €6.62

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$6.13 €5.45

29.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.00 €9.79

16.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$1.09 €0.97

166.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.26 €1.12

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.35 €1.20

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$2.02 €1.80

0.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$0.97 €0.86

108.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.06 €0.94

79.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.00 €0.89

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.81 €0.72

53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$4.05 €3.61

5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$5.02 €4.47

95.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$0.92 €0.82

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$1.16 €1.04

137.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$1.09 €0.97

-53.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$33.09 €29.46

-17.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$0.57 €0.51

735.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$0.58 €0.52

460.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.46 €6.64

-27.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.75 €1.56

-12.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$21.4K €19.0K

-0.74%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$25.5K €22.7K

-8.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,568

$120 €106

-30.15%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.19 MX$435

$23.08 €20.55

0.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$23.78 €21.18

16.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$33.98 €30.25

66.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$10.39 €9.25

171.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$5.56 €4.95

-10.07%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,889

$81.5 €72.6

153.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$4,539 €4,041

15.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$83.0 €73.9

-47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$31.10 €27.69

36.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$88.5 €78.8

-17.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$110 €98.1

-19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$414 €368

140.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$269 €239

42.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$592 €527

182.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$407 €362

165.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$1,617 €1,440

141.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,188 €1,057

416.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$797 €710

4.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.5

108.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Niksic: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Niksic

$269 27.4% 29.7% $113

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Niksic

$190 19.4% 26% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Niksic

$128 13.1% 36.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Niksic

$166 17% 23.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Niksic

$141 14.4% 26.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Niksic

$45 4.6% 32.1% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Niksic

$41 4.2% 18.8% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $414 in Niksic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $31 in Niksic for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $190 per month, with Niksic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇪 Niksic

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

17:50 5:50 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,970

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Niksic 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Niksic

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Niksic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $980 in Niksic, so Niksic is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $414 in Niksic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $980 in Niksic – Niksic is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 17% less than in Niksic. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $980 in Niksic versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niksic but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Niksic the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Niksic wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.